Iraq violence flares with Baghdad bombs

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, Nov 18 (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed by explosions in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities on Sunday, Iraqi police and officials said.

Nine people were killed and at least 20 others were also wounded in one of the worst attacks in the Iraqi capital in several weeks, which police said targeted Iraqi Finance Ministry adviser Salman al-Mugotar.

A Finance Ministry source said Mugotar was unhurt in the blast in al-Hurriya Square in Baghdad's Karrada district, but at least two wounded were reported to be his security guards.

Brigadier-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the car that was targeted belonged to Satar Jabar, chief editor of the New al-Bayna newspaper.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18270961.htm

US says Iraq attacks down 55 percent By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer
27 minutes ago


BAGHDAD - Violence is down 55 percent in Iraq since a U.S.-Iraqi security operation began this summer, U.S. officials said Sunday, even as at least 15 Iraqis were reported killed in bombings and shootings.

The dead included three children who were killed as they gathered around American troops who were handing out toys and sports equipment.

The officials cautioned it was too early to credit Tehran with the recent lull in overall violence, despite recent optimism that Iran was stemming its support for Shiite militia fighters.

"It's unclear to us what role the Iranians might have had in these developments, if any," said Philip Reeker, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, at a news conference in the U.S.-guarded Green Zone.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=AqSGA0Gw_gABGJKJ7t.XxGtvaA8F

and insurgent attacks.

Whatever happens now is due to the Iranian infiltrators.
:sarcasm: (Just in case,,,)

the 90% to their percent, it adds up to 55%.

That cannot be, the punditcracy is holding a victory parade.

In Baquba, an ethnically mixed and volatile city 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, a roadside bomb targeting a U.S. foot patrol killed at least three children, two of them siblings, and wounded seven people, police said.

In Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, a parked car bomb targeting a police patrol killed three people, including a woman, police said. Four policemen were among 16 wounded.

Police said a roadside bomb killed an Iraqi army officer and a soldier and wounded another while they were trying to defuse the bomb in Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad.

The governor of the southern Shi'ite province of Muthanna, meanwhile, accused U.S. troops of opening fire on civilian cars, and called for provincial officials to suspend cooperation with multi-national forces in the province.
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Break out the champange! We're winning?

must have for us!

man -- if this is called working -- what would not working look like? -- oh yeah -- exactly the same.

Bombings Strike Children and US Soldiers
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=nation_world&id=5768019

Sunday became one of the deadliest days in Iraq this year, but the military is touting a dramatic drop in violence since the surge strategy started.

More than 20 people died in attacks Sunday near Baghdad, including 3 American soldiers. But a military spokesman says terrorist attacks are at their lowest level since January of last year. He says they're 55% lower now than before the surge started in June.

. . .

This Friday was one of the calmest in a long time in Iraq. The military says there were 33 incidents, which is the lowest number of attacks in more than three years.

One deadly roadside bombing Sunday killed 3 children and 3 U.S. soldiers who were handing out toys. Seven more kids were injured when insurgents exploded the bomb.

and now that they're higher then when they were low then we should see that the surge is exactly as successful as it could be against the highest attack rates and not as successful during the lull in violence and the lower attack rates... So at this rate we need another trillion to keep up this excellent humanitarian effort cause only chilren are dying now... but only when the Iraq Al-Qaida, sectarian, fighting forces are armed by IRAN, IRAN, IRAN its all IRAN's fault and if only we continue to keep troops in IRAQ then we can contain IRAN, IRAN, IRAN...